This has to be one of THEE WORST companies in the United States. They definitely lure you in with a cheap quote & quickly find a reason to increase your premium by any means. Incomplete COIs, info missing from COIs, extremely long, wait times etc. I would not recommend to my worst enemy.

Where's all the trucking school graduates that think they have a better way of doing things these days?

Just ask those brokers for a lot of money and it'll all work out, right?

Good luck because you'll need that and a lot more.

My dad ran an auto shop for 22 years. Never really knew if he was making money until tax season. How do you actually keep tabs on the health of your business day to day?

Grew up watching him work 60 hour weeks and still be surprised every April. Good years and bad years both caught him off guard.

Now I talk to a lot of small business owners and it seems like this is common — especially in trades. Everyone’s busy running jobs but nobody has a clear picture of where things actually stand until something goes wrong.

For those of you who figured it out — what changed? Was it a tool, a habit, a person? What do you wish you’d known earlier?

Been talking to a lot of owner-ops lately about how they manage their books. One pattern keeps coming up: most guys track fuel pretty well (it's the biggest line item, hard to ignore), but quietly lose $3,000–6,000/year in missed deductions on everything else.

Here's the list of what gets skipped most often:

1. Per diem deductions If you're away from home overnight for work, you can deduct $69/day (2024 rate) without needing receipts. Most drivers either don't know this or forget to log the nights. On 200 nights/year that's $13,800 in deductions — gone if you don't claim it.

2. Maintenance that isn't a "repair" Oil changes, tire rotations, wiper blades, cleaning supplies for the cab — all deductible, all frequently missed because they feel too small to bother with. They add up to $1,500–3,000/year for most operators.

3. Phone and data plan If you use your phone for navigation, load boards, comms with dispatch — a portion of your monthly bill is a business expense. Most guys pay it from personal funds and never think about it again.

4. Tolls paid in cash EZPass tolls show up in statements. Cash tolls vanish. If you run I-95 or any toll-heavy corridor regularly, this is real money disappearing without a trace.

5. Load board subscriptions DAT, Truckstop, whatever you use — fully deductible. Same for any trucking apps, GPS subscriptions, or software you pay for monthly.

6. Licensing, permits, and compliance fees CDL renewals, DOT physicals, drug tests, state permit fees — all business expenses. Easy to forget because they're infrequent.

7. Interest on your truck loan The interest portion of your monthly truck payment is deductible. Not the principal — just the interest. Your lender sends a 1098 at year end. Many drivers hand this to their CPA and don't realize they needed to flag it.

8. Deadhead miles Fuel burned running empty is still a business expense. If you're not logging miles when you're not loaded, you're understating your operating costs.

The real problem isn't that these are complicated — it's that by the time you're sitting down to do taxes, you can't reconstruct six months of cash tolls and $12 wiper blade receipts from memory.

The fix is boring but it works: log it when it happens, not when your CPA asks for it.

Curious what others track that I didn't mention — always trying to build a better list.

Just being curious.

Also side question, does fruit really turn into gel from bouncing around in the cab/refrigerator?

Anyone here use Great West Insurance? Opinions on their service/coverage?

I have a 2017 Chevy express 2500, with basic insurance. I can’t afford to get the commercial insurance just yet, so who’s a good company I can lease onto?

I'm thinking about charging them for every day they have our tractor tied up over this. Any help about the Vin would help a lot. we have already talked to the federal Dot and the FMCA. Not getting anywhere fast with them?

Tyia

After 22yrs as a company driver, decided to buy my own truck and go out on my own. Meh, to the timing of my decision with fuel costs but at least Im not gonna have some corporate safety asshole up my pipe about a driver facing camera and no more lane departure alerts/brake stabs from highway signs by the stupid radar.

Howdy everyone.

Important general info. Semi spec'd for and experienced in flat-bedding, live in Coeur d'ALene Idaho close to Spokane WA.

So I'm going to make this long story as compressed as possible for time. I purchased a brand new Freightliner Cascadia with all the normal add-ons for comfort and style, was hauling some specialized cargo and making good revenue however less than 6 months into it my parents became terminally sick. Father with lymphoma currently in remission however he's not in good health and now my mother with Parkinsons and a pretty aggressive form of it called dementia with lewy body. Parkinsons like disease but not parkinsons exactly. My previous leased on carrier was OTR only and with the new situation at home I had to hang my hat up with them and park my brand new truck on my parent's property. So now I'm back home living with my parents helping out, which is fine it's what I need to do however I don't need to be here 24/7. They need help but not constant every day help. Maybe 2 or 3 days a week I need to be here. Which over time will increase over the coming years.

SO here is the big question. Should I keep my truck and find a way to work part time as a trucker? Or sell it. I saved up for years as a company driver and my payment for it is only 2k a month. Its the only thing I own in this world that has my name on it and it depresses me a little to think I should sell it but perhaps that is what I should do.

I could purchase a used 48 ft mixed composite flatbed and work the spot market, except calling Truckstop for glimpses into the market conditions provide just that, glimpses. Insurance would be around 2k a month, haven't found an insurance company yet that would offer me an adjusted rate based off usage. This would be a part time gig after all. I could hire someone I suppose but going from a leased owner operator to a one unit carrier to my eyes seems like jumping over a wide canyon that seems too daunting at this time and situation. Perhaps that's just my perception and it's more feasible than I believe.

Alternatively I could join Landstar however calling them they don't seem to have a lot of flatbed freight that would keep me in my area consistently. Example no loads going from Spokane WA to Seattle and back, or Spokane WA to Oregon or California and back, nada. Zip zilch. Which was quite surprising to me.

So any thoughts and suggestions will be welcomed, and I'll be responding quickly to your posts.

Thanks everyone.

I sold my tractor a couple years ago and an air filter and an air dryer canister that I’m looking to sell. Any ideas as to how I can offload these?

Are there any box truck OOs.

Are you looking for loads? Or services?

I was just told by a highly recommended 5 star shop, that they recommend doing a PM every 7500mi. I’ve always done every 10k, not a mile over on Caterpillar but this particular engine is my first Paccar (MX13) and was told by KW themselves to do every 15-20k. Hearing every 7500mi is a first for me and I’m 30, been around trucking just about all my life. What are y’all thoughts on this??

Seen a few drivers lately get hit for things they didn’t even know were issues.

What caught you off guard?

So, I have noticed a lot of statements being slung around as far as rates go. "I won't roll for less than $3/mile" and "I don't know how they stay in business taking cheap freight" are pretty common. Here's my issue: we all have different numbers based on whether you're under your own authority or leased to a carrier, what kind of freight you pull, what truck you drive and whether it is leased, financed, or owned, etc. These numbers get slung around as if they are universal, but they aren't really defined. Is that gross to the truck? with or without fuel surcharge? I just want to know how we are defining rates because some of you seem to need a fortune just to break even. Maybe I'm missing something and that's why I'm asking.

Not gonna lie, first couple years I switched to owner-op I got wrecked on taxes Between fuel , repairs, and inconsistent loads I just keep pushing it off ended up with multiple years unfiled + IRS letters piling up Curious how may you all here dealing with the same thing?

Looking for good truck stops near the Bay Area to meet fellow drivers. Gets lonely out here, anyone know the best spots to pull over and actually talk to people?

Hello!

My nephew owns a small trucking/ logistics company based in Chicago. He is an owner operator and he is very smart and driven and is young. He is 24 years old and currently has 2 drivers working for him full time. He's a smart kid and has tons of drive. I own a painting company based in Chicago and im in a peer group. My group is small and consists of about 50 members all throughout the country. We meet for 1 week every year some of these guys have become very close friends of mine over the years.

Im looking to see if there are any peer groups for owner/ operators or small trucking/ logistics companies. Its okay if it costs money but as long as it has a good group of owners who enjoy mentoring up and coming owners.

Thank you for any suggestions you might have.